SYRACUSE – Baldwinsville ice hockey players and fans believed that if the Bees could play the sort of defense that had defined most of its success this season, it would bring home the program’s first Section III Division I championship since 2015.
And the sectional final Thursday night at Upstate Medical University Arena at the War Memorial was a taut, low-scoring affair – yet B’ville could not dethrone West Genesee, who prevailed 2-1.
Right up until the last seconds, the Bees had opportunities, including several face-offs in the Wildcats’ end with an extra attacker, yet could not pull even, the best chance a shot by Garrett Sutton in the final seconds that WG goaltender Luke Beck turned away.
Everyone on both sides understood the stakes. Besides the sectional title, the winner would be heavily favored to beat Ithaca in the regional final two days later to earn a trip to the state final four in Buffalo.
And they were quite rested, having waited more than a week since their respective semifinal wins (B’ville over Cicero-North Syracuse, WG over Syracuse) due to winter weather postponing the game 72 hours.
The Bees had further confidence from beating the Wildcats 5-4 on Jan. 31 in Lysander, but the Wildcats played a tighter, cleaner game this time around, rarely giving away possessions and controlling the flow of play early.
Further momentum was provided to the Wildcats when it killed off B’ville’s first power play late in the first period. Seconds after WG got back to full strength, Will Schneid ripped a shot from the right circle past Jon Schirmer.
Out-shot 10-7 in that opening period, B’ville knew it had to apply more even-strength pressure if it wanted to turn the game around – which it did, getting many more chances in the second, yet still turned away by Wildcats goalie Luke Beck.
WG doubled the margin to 2-0 when Kyle Evanchak converted from close to the same spot that Schneid did earlier, but senior captain Keegan Lynch provided an answer, flashing open and beating Beck with just 45.7 seconds left in the period, leaving it a one-goal margin heading to the third.
Those final 17 minutes would see the Bees gradually increase its pressure, winning battles for loose pucks and closing in. Every time, though, Beck answered it, ultimately making 11 of his 28 saves in the final period.
As the clock hit zero, the scene from 2022 repeated itself, WG’s players celebrating on the ice and with its fans, B’ville’s players despondent as another opportunity for a championship proved elusive and a 19-game unbeaten streak ended.
